CSIRO's winning route finder

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A CSIRO super-computer capable of evaluating millions of alternative road routes simultaneously has won the Australian Technology Award for the best public sector new technology.

The advanced route-optimisation super-computer system allows engineers to determine the best road and rail route to take allowing for numerous factors such as geological strata, geography and economic, environmental and social constraints.

Known as 'Quantm', the super-computer offers the first alternative to the manual method currently in use and has generated widespread interest from infrastructure planners in Asia and Europe.

Quantm can process more than 250 million different routes and work out the best route in a matter of hours. It can utilise data from digital maps, satellite data and aerial photography and handle an unlimited number of geological strata.

With this information it can calculate such key issues as when it is best to tunnel or cut, and calculate the height at which a viaduct is a cheaper option than filling. The solutions for each given scenario also come with a dollar sign attached.

While the system is only as accurate as the data it utilises, the CSIRO's Ken Anderson said Quantm is the only information processor of its kind in the world.

Because it is capable of taking into account community concerns and environmental issues, new constraints arising from the community consultation process can be quickly integrated into the planning process.

The Quantm system has been operating in Australia for several years and was used to determine the most cost-effective route for the proposed $3.7 billion Canberra-to-Sydney Very High Speed Rail Service Project.

"Changes to the original alignment identified ways to significantly reduce earthworks for the railway and offered alignment construction cost savings of up to 42 per cent," according to Larry Little, director of the CSIRO's Built Environment Sector.

The Australian Technology Award was jointly won by CSIRO and its spin-off company, Quantm Ltd.